


What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

by Em_Jaye



Series: Good Madness [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic, New Year's Eve, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-24 05:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13206705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_Jaye/pseuds/Em_Jaye
Summary: "May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness"-Neil GaimanNew Year's Eve.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the beginning of my on-going bakery!au that started with 'Kinda Magical'. I'll be posting stories from that 'verse for all the major holidays of 2018. 
> 
> I hope you like it; I take my inspiration from Sex and the City and the infallible Amerna. Ga'bless ya both.

Natasha crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to one side, scrutinizing the contents of her closet. She ran a hand over her face and let out a sigh of frustration.

“Hey, Weasel,” she called out into her bedroom and waited for the sound of _Beauty and the Beast_ to pause.

Charlotte appeared after a moment in the doorway of the closet. “What's up?”

Nat held up two dresses. “Which do you think?” she asked, moving them back and forth like a balancing scale. “Black or red?” The dresses were fairly similar--the only difference being that the black was stretched with lace and offered long-sleeves, but both figure-hugging and hit her just above the knee and either would look great with the heels her sister-in-law had gifted her a week ago.

But Charlotte’s button nose wrinkled and she shook her head. “Neither. You need more sparkles.”

Natasha laughed. “More sparkles?” she repeated.

Her charge nodded enthusiastically. “Mmmhmm. Darcy said it’s sparkle season.”

She smiled and reached out to ruffle Charlotte’s already messy hair. “Did she now?” Since Thanksgiving, Charlotte had done nothing but talk about her and Steve’s new friend, Darcy, who taught baking classes and ran the busy little bakery a few blocks from dance class. And while there was a little part of Natasha who felt selfishly let down that she was no longer the only woman in Charlotte’s life, the rest of her couldn’t argue that it had been far too long since she’d seen either Steve or Charlotte this happy.

She put the dresses back into the closet and held out her hands. “Okay then, what’s sparkly enough to gain the Charlotte Rogers Stamp of Approval?”

Charlotte knew exactly where she was headed as she bee-lined for the back of Nat’s closet and unearthed a silver-sequined dress from behind a pile of bridesmaid dresses. It slipped easily off the hanger as she stretched up onto her toes to grab hold of one of the sleeves. “This one!” she declared, holding it up.

Natasha tilted her head to one side and accepted the dress. She held it up to herself and padded out into the bedroom to study her reflection. “You think?” she asked, meeting Charlotte’s gaze in the mirror.

Charlotte nodded eagerly. “And you can curl your hair and still wear those shoes,” she said, pointing to the box on the bed.

She smiled and tossed the dress on the bed next to the shoebox. “Alright, cutie,” she said with a sigh. “You win. Silver it is.” She pointed to her vanity. “Do me a favor and turn on my curling iron.”

“Can we make popcorn while it heats up?”

“Good plan,” Nat nodded once and offered her hand once Charlotte had clicked on the little button on the side of her curling wand.

“Can you curl my hair too?” Charlotte asked as they walked down the hallway to the small kitchen at the front of her apartment.

“I don’t know,” Nat teased, unable to resist wiggling her fingers against Charlotte’s neck. “Think you can hold still this time, wiggle worm?”

“I promise!” she squealed, trying unsuccessfully to squirm away.

 

Charlotte’s blonde hair curled easily around the wand and fell in soft waves around her heart-shaped face. She tilted her head toward the side on which Nat was currently working. “How come my hair doesn’t do this on its own?”

Natasha smirked. “Because life is unfair, baby girl,” she said with a shake of her head. “Sit up straight please.”

Charlotte acquiesced and slid another handful of popcorn into her mouth. “What’s the big deal about New Year’s Eve, anyway?” she asked after she’d finished her loud crunching.

“What do you mean?”

Charlotte moved her shoulders. “I mean it’s just another night, isn’t it? I don’t know why everyone makes such a fuss.”

“Because it’s fun,” Natasha reminded with a quiet laugh. “You get to get all dressed up--”

“In sparkles,” Charlotte interrupted with a grin.

“Apparently,” Nat smiled. “And you go out with your friends and celebrate all the good things that happened this year and wish for all the things you want to do next year and then at midnight you yell ‘Happy New Year’ and give out a whole bunch of kisses.”

Charlotte’s face twisted. “Even to strangers? That’s gross.”

Natasha laughed out loud and released another silky blonde curl from her fingers. “It’s not gross; it’s good luck. And you only kiss the people you know,” she corrected herself. “And only the people you like.”

“Who are _you_ going to kiss?” Charlotte asked, eyeing her with curiosity.

Nat gave her another grin in the mirror. “I haven’t decided yet.” She glanced at the clock beside her bed. “What time is Bucky coming to get you?”

“Six on the dot,” Charlotte said. “We’re going to eat pizza and watch Barbie: Swan Lake and he said I can practice my nail paint on him.”

“Mm,” she nodded, suppressing a smile, imagining Bucky explaining his purple fingernails to his squadmates at the station. “Now _that_ sounds like a fun night.”

“You can come too!” Charlotte insisted. “I bet he wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said, grabbing the last chunk of hair and wrapping it around the curling wand. “Plus, I don’t want to crash your night. I know how much you like having the boys all to yourself.”

She moved her little shoulders again. “I don’t mind sharing if it’s you,” she said with another smile. “Or Darcy. Did I tell you Daddy and I took her skating yesterday? In the park? It was _so_ much fun. And she made cookies that look like clocks for me and Uncle Bucky to eat every hour until midnight. I brought you some.” She pointed to the living room where her backpack had been tossed hours before.

“Thanks, peanut,” Nat said and placed a steadying hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “Now stop wiggling. I’m almost done.”

“Can I wear your crown?” she asked suddenly, sitting up straight on the tufted stool.

Her eyes followed Charlotte’s to the tiara that hung on the corner of the mirror. Made of cheap plastic and too much glitter, it was usually only reserved for birthdays and nights of exceptional shenanigans. She shrugged. “Sure,” she released Charlotte’s last curl and swiped the tiara from its resting place. It looked far less silly on the head of a little girl than it usually looked on her. She watched Charlotte smile at her reflection. “Looks perfect,” Natasha declared and bent down to pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Just like you,” she added and gave Charlotte’s sides a good tickle.

 

Bucky was nothing if not punctual. Even when he was coming off a shift and had no business making promises like ‘six on the dot’ in holiday traffic. But there he was, knocking on her door at exactly six o’clock, making her wonder what witch he’d made a bargain with to achieve this kind of punctuality as Charlotte leapt from the couch and yanked open the door without a second thought.

“Uncle Bucky!” she cried, throwing out her arms excitedly.

“Lottie Bear!” he yelled, matching her enthusiasm as he bent and scooped her up and into his arms for a hug.

Smiling, Natasha rolled her eyes as she slid her foot into her remaining heel. “You’d think you hadn’t seen each other for months,” she commented lightly.

“Four whole days,” Bucky commented, not putting her down yet.

Charlotte nodded. “Feels like forever,” she said seriously before she threw her arms around his neck and gave him another hug. “I missed you.”

He smiled and hugged her back. “I missed you too, Butterbean. Now grab your bag and let’s get back to your house to get this party started.”

Natasha raised her eyebrows. “Not your house?” she asked casually. Not that she cared where he was taking Charlotte, she reminded herself. Not that Charlotte wouldn’t be completely safe and well-cared for no matter when they went.

Just curiosity.

Bucky shook his head. “Being bug-bombed,” he said with a grimace. “I’m crashing at Chez Rogers until the fumes are clear.”

“Just like the old days,” she mused, setting her foot on the ground and giving her dress one final adjustment. “Okay, Weasel,” she said, giving her hands a little clap. “Come give me a kiss, you won’t see me until next year.”

“Don’t say it like that,” Charlotte admonished as Bucky let her down to scurry over for a hug. “That sounds like it’s forever away.”

Natasha bent down and traded a quick hug and a quick kiss that transferred some red stain from her lips to Charlotte’s before she smiled. “Okay, I’ll see you soon. How about that?”

Charlotte nodded. “Much better.” Her hands went to the crown still on her head. “Oh, here, you should have this back.”

She waved the gesture away. “You can bring it back next time,” she said, adjusting it on her niece’s head. “Looks better on you anyway.”

Charlotte turned back to her escort as Nat stood up. “Uncle Bucky?” she asked expectantly. “Aren’t you going to tell Auntie Nat that she looks beautiful?”

Natasha squeaked a laugh of surprise as Bucky looked up from his phone and blanched. “Uh...yeah,” he said, giving her a once-over. “Yeah...she looks. Uh.”

Her eyes practically rolled on their own. “Don’t hurt yourself, Buck,” she said with a sigh.

“No, you do,” he fumbled. “You look...nice. Good.”

“ _Beautiful,_ ” Charlotte corrected.

“Yeah,” he cleared his throat. “Beautiful,” he repeated before he looked back at Charlotte and smiled. “You’re right.”

Charlotte glanced back at Natasha and offered her a pleased grin. “I told you the sparkles were a good idea.”

“Come on, Lottie,” Bucky said, clearing his throat again. “Auntie Nat’s got big plans and we’ve got pizza to eat.”

“And Barbie: Swan Lake,” she reminded, crossing to the door to stand in front of him.

He sighed. “And Barbie: Swan Lake.”

“And I heard something about nail polish?” Natasha reminded, her hand on the door and a half-smile playing on her lips.

Bucky let out another resigned sigh. “I’m a weak man,” he said, shaking his head.

She let her smile widen as he dropped his hands onto Charlotte’s shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “Well, since I won’t see you,” she drummed her fingers on the door, “happy new year.”

He smiled back. “Happy new year.”

A beat of silence passed over the trio before Charlotte glanced between them. “And _now_ you kiss?” she asked dubiously.

Natasha felt that strange flash of nervousness again and she laughed, shaking her head. “What?”

Charlotte sighed. “I don’t know how it works. I thought it was good luck?”

“Only at midnight,” Bucky put in quickly and squeezed her shoulders again. “Come on, Princess. Let’s roll.”

“Goodnight, Auntie Nat!” Charlotte called as they started toward the stairs.

“Night, sweetheart,” she called back with a smile.

“Enjoy your party,” Bucky said with a final wave over his shoulder before she closed the door. She only had a moment to study the back of her door before her phone started buzzing with texts from her friends relaying party plans and pushing her interaction with Bucky Barnes safely out of her mind.

 

***

 

It was a little after two in the morning when Bucky heard the rattle of keys against the door. He bolted up from where he’d passed out on the couch--with pink and glittering nails--not long after Charlotte had gone to be right after midnight. He glanced at his watch with a frown of confusion and listened to the keys rattle in an unsuccessful attempt to open the door.

Steve and Darcy weren’t supposed to be coming back here tonight; if anything, they should have been headed back to Darcy’s apartment. He frowned again.

Unless something had happened on their date.

“Stupid keys,” he heard a muffled grumble on the other side of the door as he approached, and his confusion doubled.

He glanced out the side window for a moment before he unlocked the deadbolt and pulled open the heavy door. “Natasha?” he asked, disbelieving what he was seeing.

She looked up from where her keys were half-stuck in the door and tilted her head to one side. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as a dark red curl slipped into her face. “You got here fast,” she said with a half-smile before she bit her lip. “Did I already call you? Or did I just think about it?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here, Nat?”

“I live here,” she said, her words bumping clumsily into one another before she poked him in the chest. “Duh.”

“You’re at Steve’s house,” he reminded patiently before his eyes dropped to take in her appearance. Open coat, a forehead still sweaty from dancing, makeup that had slipped to smudge around her eyes and shoes in her other hand. Her feet were bare and currently surrounded by the inch of snow still on Steve’s front porch. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered, pulling the door open the rest of the way. “Come inside, you’re going to get sick.”

She followed him in, dropping her shoes so she could dig in her pocketbook. “Are you sure this is Steve’s house?” she asked, glancing up and around before she retrieved her phone.

Bucky sighed. “Pretty sure,” he said, and closed the door behind her, sliding the deadbolt back into place. He held out a hand. “Let me see?” Obediently, she handed over her phone so he could see her last used app. “Yeah, you have Steve’s address saved as the last place you went and you didn’t tell it you wanted to go home.”

“Huh,” she said, taking her phone back. “Well,” she frowned with drunken confusion. “Shit. Now I gotta do this all over again.”

He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from turning around. “Just...” he motioned to the living room with a nod. “Just stay here,” he said. “You can go home in the morning; but keep your voice down. Charlotte’s asleep.”

“I’ll be quiet,” Natasha said in a loud whisper before she took in his rumpled t-shirt and sweatpants. “Were you asleep?”

He turned on one of the softer lights in the living room and squinted for a minute before he motioned for her to sit on the couch and nodded. “Kinda what people do at two in the morning.” He watched her drop down onto the sofa and needlessly adjust the straps and hem of her dress before she finally gave up and folded her legs in front of her. “You want something more comfortable to sleep in?”

“Mmm,” she nodded and reached for her phone again. “Sorry to wake you up,” she mumbled. “Didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” he assured her and reached into the suitcase he’d planned on living out of for the next three days. There was a handful of clean t-shirts and an extra pair of sweats he’d thrown in just in case. “Here,” he called softly and tossed them to her. In her drunken state, she only managed to catch the t-shirt and watched, amused, as the pants fluttered to the ground.

“Thanks,” she said and pulled the shirt over her head before she slipped her arms out of the straps of her dress and let it fall to the ground in an unceremonious heap of sparkles. His shirt hit her mid-thigh, but he turned away anyway as she bent over and yanked on his soft gray sweatpants. “Much better,” she said, sighing with relief when she sat down again.

“Hang tight,” he said with a glance over his shoulder. “I’m gonna get you some water.”

She’d curled her bare feet up under her by the time he returned with a large glass from the tap. Her head rested against her arm on the back of the couch and she offered him a sleepy, embarrassed smile. “Thanks,” she said, her voice hoarse.

“Must’ve been some party,” he commented with a smile as he dropped down beside her.

She nodded around the dutiful gulp of water she took. “It was,” she said when she finished and set the glass on the coffee table. “You should’ve been there.”

Bucky frowned for a moment before he recovered. “And miss out on Barbie: Rapunzel? Never.”

“I thought it was Swan Lake...”

“Double feature,” he said dryly.

“You lucky duck,” she shook her head and reached for his hand. Her fingers were freezing as she pulled his nails close to her eyes for inspection. “And these are...”

“Awful,” he finished for her, taking his hand back from her icy grip. “But I have to wait until I get home to take the polish off.”

Natasha laughed again. A soft, husky sound from back in her throat. “Do you _have_ nail polish remover at home?”

“I can get some.”

“Just make sure you get pure acetone,” she warned. “It’s the only thing that takes off glitter.”

“Noted,” he said with a nod and grabbed her water glass. “Keep drinking.”

She took another sip and then a third under his watchful gaze. She was quiet for a moment before she laid her head back on her arm. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

He rolled his eyes. “Because sometimes I’m a nice guy, Nat.”

She frowned and traced her nail along a scratch in the leather. “No, I know, but...” she raised her eyes. “But you don’t like me.”

He let out a strangled croak of a laugh and shook his head. “That’s not...” he paused and let his breath flutter past his lips. “I like you fine,” he decided on the safest answer. “Anyway, you’re the one who doesn’t like me.”

Her expression wrinkled in confusion. “Why? ‘Cause I didn’t want to sleep with you at Steve and Peggy’s wedding?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, I managed to get over that crushing rejection pretty quickly,” he said dryly. “No, I was actually referring to the ten-year cold shoulder you’ve been giving _since_ telling me you didn’t want to sleep with me at Steve and Peggy’s wedding.” He eyed her carefully, noting the glassiness of her eyes and the way she kept licking her lips, a sure sign she could no longer feel them. “And you’re not going to remember this conversation anyway, so I’m not sure why we’re having it right now.”

“Because it’s important that you know that I don’t...” she paused and let her head drift to one side. “Like you. You know?”

He laughed again. “It’s important that I know that you don’t like me? I’m pretty sure I got the memo.”

“No,” she rolled her eyes, frustrated. “Just. I don’t... _not_ like you. I...like you fine,” she repeated his words from before. “You’re nice and you’re funny and you’re really good with Charlotte and that’s...all good things.”

“Okay, Nat,” he patted her arm and made a move to get to his feet. “Thanks for clearing that up.”

She pulled on his hand before he could stand. “Wait. Just...” she let out a breath. “Would you be mad if I kissed you right now?”

He froze for a second and shook his head again. “ _You_ would be mad if you kissed me right now,” he corrected. “Or, Sober Natasha would be.” He untangled her fingers from his and went to stand up again. “In fact, I think we should probably press pause on this subject right now and not do anything else that’s going to piss off Sober Natasha.”

“Ugh, she’s no fun at all,” she moaned, throwing back her head dramatically and covering her face with her hands.

Bucky smirked as he got to his feet. “She’s kinda fun,” he admitted. “Sometimes.”

“We don’t have to _tell her,”_ Nat said, narrowing her eyes and leaning toward him, dropping her voice into a whisper.

“Oh, something tells me she’d find out,” Bucky assured her. “And anyway, weren’t you just out kissing a bunch of strangers? I would’ve thought you had your fill.”

She wrinkled her nose. “My midnight kiss was sloppy,” she admitted. “Too wet. Too much bottom lip.”

“Tragic.”

“Just,” she pressed her full lips together and pouted them in his direction. “Come on. It’s bad luck to start the year without a proper greeting.”

He rolled his eyes again. “It’s two and half hours into the new year, kiddo. Bad luck or not, we’ve already started it.”

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine; abandon me,” she said, waving him away. “Where are you going, anyway?”

“To plug your phone in,” he said, holding up the device he’d lifted from the coffee table. “And I’m not telling you where because you’re not going to do anything good with it until you sober up a little bit.”

“Fine,” she repeated, sliding down further into the couch cushions. “But when you come back, I’m going to kiss you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Bucky plugged her phone into the wall charger in the kitchen and retrieved the painkillers from the top shelf of the cabinet. The bottle shook almost cheerfully in his hand. “Okay, Nat, if you say—” he stopped himself at the sight of Natasha passed out on his pillow, mouth agape, “so.”

He sighed again and grabbed the blanket he’d been using and tossed it over her, covering her up to the shoulders. He pushed back her hair and fetched the small garbage can from the downstairs bathroom to place beside the sofa, just in case. The pills he set next to her glass of water and patted the top of her head before switching off the light.

Bucky did his best to get comfortable in the arm chair in the corner. He flipped to his side and rested his head on the arm, already being able to pinpoint where he was going to be sore in the morning. “Happy new year, Natasha,” he said before he felt his eyelids growing heavy again.

She snored loudly in response.


	2. Chapter 2

The smell of bacon woke her before she opened her eyes. She heard the familiar sizzling sound and a scape of cast iron against a burner; it was comforting in her drowsy, almost-awake stage. Natasha smiled to herself and rolled over, reaching for what should have been her fluffy, feather-down comforter. Her hand touched a thick, fleece blanket instead.

Her eyes flew open and she found herself staring at the worn leather cushions of a couch. She blinked in confusion. Steve’s couch. What the hell was she doing on Steve’s couch?

She sat up slowly, conscious of the intense pounding behind her eyes. She shoved back her hair and swiped at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes fell to her body—to the FDNY t-shirt and unfamiliar sweatpants she discovered she was wearing under her blanket. 

“Oh no…”

“Hey.”

Her eyes snapped to the doorway, surprised to find Bucky standing there, holding two cups of coffee. She swallowed hard and made a vain attempt to pat down any craziness in her hair. “Uh…hi,” she said, her voice hoarse. “What…um…” she glanced around. 

Bucky offered a tight smile as he crossed the room and handed her one of the steaming mugs. “You feel okay?”

She took a tentative sip and tried not to grimace as she seared the tip of her tongue. “Like someone parked a Buick on my head,” she admitted and risked a deeper burn for another sip of coffee. 

“There’s aspirin,” he said, pointing to the small bottle on the coffee table. “You should probably take a few with your coffee.”

“Yeah,” she winced with the effort it took to focus on the bottle and unscrew the top. “Thanks.” She dropped three pills to the back of her throat and forced them down with another sip of coffee. She waited until the pills had made it all the way down before she cleared her throat. “Can you um…Can you tell me what I’m doing here? And,” she glanced down again, “in what I assume are your clothes?”

He gave her another tight smile and sat in the armchair across the room. “What do you remember from last night?” he asked carefully.

Natasha closed her eyes and willed the foggy memories to swim into focus. “Uh…going out…I was in midtown for most of the night, I think? And then…champagne,” she frowned. “Lots of champagne. And body shots and…” she ran a hand over her face. “I know I was trying to go home at some point.” There was something else at the edge of her mind. Something that she’d wanted to do…Something that had felt equal parts manageable and impossible when she’d dreamed it up last night.

“Your ride brought you here instead,” he informed her helpfully.

She blinked. “Oh. And you...” she glanced down at herself a third time.

“Let you stay because it was two in the morning and fifteen degrees outside.”

“Right.” She frowned in confusion. “And that’s it?”

“That’s it,” he said, taking a sip of his own mug.

“Did I…” she stopped herself and frowned again. “I didn’t…I mean…” she cleared her sticky, dry throat. “I didn’t do anything _too_ stupid, did I?”

“Nope,” Bucky took another drink and got to his feet. “I gave you those clothes and you passed out.”

She let out a brief sigh of relief. “Oh good.”

“I’ve got breakfast going,” he said, over his shoulder as he made his way toward the kitchen. “If you want to join us.”

“Oh, no thanks,” she shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “I’m not—” 

The words died on her lips as her stomach unleashed a mortifying groan to accompany its twist of hunger. 

Bucky raised his eyebrows. “You were saying?”

Feeling her cheeks flush, Natasha grimaced. “Okay, so I guess I’m a little hungry.”

He nodded, fighting a smile. “I’ll scramble a few more eggs. Lottie’ll probably be down any minute.”

“I’m gonna hit the bathroom,” she said, throwing off the blanket entirely. “Try to do something with,” she motioned to the likely mess she’d find of old make-up and slept-on curls, “this.”

“Good luck,” Bucky quipped with a half-smile before he returned to the kitchen. 

After the early morning light in the living room, the overhead lamp in Steve’s powder room didn’t sting her eyes like she thought it might. It did, however, offer her an unapologetic look at the damage she’d inflicted upon herself the night before. Thick bands of mascara and liquid liner ringed her eyes, her lips were fuller than usual, chapped and chewed on in her sleep, and her hair...

Well.

“Good morning, Vietnam,” she muttered and turned on the water. She grabbed a wad of toilet paper and did her best to scrub away the remnants of last night’s smoky eyes. What remained of her curls were brushed out with a pink plastic brush, its bristles thick with Charlotte’s blonde hair. She borrowed a hair-tie from the pile on the counter and pulled her frizzy red mane up and off her neck in a high, messy bun. “That’s as good as we’re gonna get,” she said under her breath and bent to the running faucet for a final splash of cold water to her face.

Bucky. 

His name crashed into her mind before she could remember to distract herself. That’s what she’d been thinking about when she was unsuccessfully navigating a ride home. She’d been thinking about _Bucky_ of all people when she’d been out last night. That much she remembered. Wondering what her night would have been like if he hadn’t offered to babysit Charlotte. Wondering what would have happened if she’d asked him to come to the club with her and her friends. Wondering why it felt like he looked at her just a little differently when he’d come to pick up Charlotte. 

And now, she reminded herself, Bucky was on the other side of that door, making her breakfast, and acting like it was no big deal that she was wearing his clothes and being much nice than she probably deserved. 

She groaned and reached blindly for a towel to dry her face. She popped the latch on the door and hit the switch on her way out. 

“Auntie Nat, I didn’t know you were here!”

Charlotte had never quite learned the difference between indoor and outdoor voices and her words slammed into Natasha’s aching head, almost knocking her off her feet. She braced herself against kitchen doorway and summoned a bright smile to her face. She opened her mouth to respond when it occurred to her that she hadn’t quite figured out to explain her presence to herself, let alone a little girl.

“I invited her,” Bucky said quickly, not turning around from where he was portioning out thick slices of bacon onto three plates.  
Natasha closed her mouth and raised her eyebrows in surprise before she recovered.

“You did?” Charlotte asked, taking the question right out of her mouth.

“Yup,” he said cheerfully and moved onto the pile of scrambled eggs in the skillet. “Asked her to come over after her run."

Charlotte’s blue eyes moved from Bucky back to Nat before she scrunched up her face in confusion. “But why did he call you?”

A croak of uncertainty escaped the back of her throat for a second before she found another smile. “He needed me to kill a spider.”

After all, if he could fib, so could she.

Charlotte snorted and covered her mouth to hide her giggles. “Really?” she asked, giving them both a skeptical look.

For his part, Bucky did a decent job of feigning embarrassment as he turned away and set down two plates at the table. “To be fair,” he said, pulling out two of the three chairs, “it was a really big spider.”

Nat and Charlotte took their seats at the same time. Charlotte giggled again and looked up with a sweet smile. “I’m not afraid of spiders, Uncle Bucky,” she reminded. “I probably could’ve killed it for you.” She turned her grin back to Natasha. “But I’m glad you’re here for breakfast, Auntie Nat.”

“Speaking of,” Bucky said and pointed to the table. “Eat up, ladies.”

Her stomach rumbled again. The savory aroma of the herbs and spices Bucky had used, mixed with the salt in the bacon almost had her mouth watering. Charlotte dove in with fervor as Nat forced herself to exercise some restraint and not do the same. She took a measured bite of eggs before she broke off a piece of bacon. Bucky grabbed his own plate and joined them, checking expressions before he dug into his own food.

“So,” he said, glancing from one to the other. “What’d I burn?”

Charlotte smiled around a mouthful of eggs. She shook her head. “Nothing,” she said after she swallowed. “It’s perfect.”

When Natasha looked up from her plate, Bucky was still looking at her expectantly. She cleared her throat and patted her lips with her napkin. “No, she’s right,” she said, spearing another piece on her fork. “This is really good.”

He flashed a quick smile. “I figured you’d be hungry after a fierce battle with that spider.”

She rolled her eyes and stuffed more food in her mouth before turning her attention to Charlotte. “So how was the big sleepover, Weasel? Did you have fun?”

The little girl nodded enthusiastically. “We had so much fun,” she said, in between bites. “The pizza was kind of cold,” she said as an afterthought, “but I guess they were really busy so it took them a long time to get here.” She shrugged. “Anyway, we heated it up and it was really yummy oh,” she brightened again and held out the hand not clutching her fork, “and look at my nails!”

Nat smiled again and took a closer look at Charlotte’s fingernails. Bucky had painted them pink and purple, alternating colors on each nail. “Beautiful,” she said sincerely before she glanced over in Bucky’s direction. “You know, if you ever get bored with your current career path, you’ve got a strong backup plan.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he got up to refill his coffee cup.

“Did you have fun at _your_ party, Auntie Nat?” Charlotte asked politely, crunching down on her second piece of bacon. 

“Mmhmm,” Nat hummed the words into her coffee.

“Did you kiss anyone at midnight?” Charlotte asked with a devilish smile.

“Ew, gross,” Bucky scoffed, pulling the child’s attention away. “Why would she do that?”

Charlotte giggled again as the sounds of the front door opening drew their conversation to a close.

“Hello?” Steve called from the front of the house. “Anybody home?”

Charlotte was off her chair in an instant. “Daddy!” she exclaimed as she darted toward the foyer. 

Natasha felt her eyes widen as she inhaled her mouthful of eggs too sharply. Bucky rolled his eyes as she choked back a cough. “Relax,” he said quietly. “It’s fine.”

Steve appeared in the doorway a minute later, bringing a rush of cold morning air with him and holding Charlotte on his hip. He stopped short and greeted Nat with a look of surprise. “Hey,” he said with a smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Didn’t expect to see who—” The short, curvy brunette who had recently started cropping up all over Steve’s limited social media presence bumped into his shoulder and offered a brief, confused smile before her expression brightened with realization.

“It’s Auntie Nat!” Charlotte said, like this was a surprise she’d planned all along.

She got to her feet and offered a smile to match Darcy’s. “Hi,” she said, shaking the hand that was extended to her. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she glanced down at Bucky’s sleep-rumpled clothes. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess—”

“Oh, please,” Darcy laughed. “I spend almost a hundred percent of my days covered in butter and flour so it takes a lot more than sweatpants to make me judge.” She abruptly dropped Natasha’s hand and exchanged it for a quick hug. “I’m so glad I can finally put a face with a name,” she said when she let her go. “You’re one of Charlotte’s favorite subjects.”

Despite her embarrassment and the unexpected pace this new year had adopted, Natasha felt herself smile. “Likewise,” she admitted. “I’ve heard nothing but good things.”

“Hey, there’s plenty of eggs,” Bucky added motioning between the stove and the table. “If you guys want.”

Darcy shook her head. “We ate already,” she assured him. “But thanks. It smells great.”

“Yeah, sorry if we interrupted breakfast,” Steve cut in, setting Charlotte down so she could finish her meal. His coat was open and Nat could see he was wearing his clothes from the night before, though his collar was loose and his tie was missing. Darcy, on the other hand, looked a little more refreshed, like she’d showered at her place and employed a more effective method for getting rid of last night’s eyeliner. “But I need to grab something a little warmer for the boardwalk.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “You guys are going to the boardwalk?” she asked, dubiously. 

“Polar Bear Dive!” Charlotte cried with excitement.

From the corner of her eye, Nat caught Bucky shaking his head. “I can’t believe there are enough idiots in New York to make that into a thing every year,” he said with a sigh.

She quirked an eyebrow. “Wasn’t there a year that _you_ were one of those idiots?” she asked, fighting the smirk that wanted to curl her lips.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “And I almost got pneumonia and I almost died,” he reminded with a sarcastic laugh. “It’s gotta be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done.”

“Oh, don’t sell yourself short, Buck,” Steve joked, reaching over to steal a piece of bacon from Charlotte’s plate. “You’ve done plenty of things dumber than running into the ocean in January.”

“Plus,” Darcy added around a laugh, “I committed myself months ago. One of my employees is doing it for her favorite charity and I told her I’d be there to cheer her on.”

Charlotte brightened. “Is it Alysha?” Darcy nodded. “She showed me the picture of her costume last time I was at the shop.” The little girl turned back to Nat and added, with glittering eyes, “She’s gonna look just like Elsa. She even has a blonde wig and everything.”

“And if we’re gonna get a spot to watch,” Steve said, giving Charlotte’s shoulder a squeeze. “You and I both need to get moving.” Without another word, Charlotte jumped up again from the table and bolted for the stairs. “Double layers, please!” Steve called after her. “And you need to find your inhaler before we leave!” 

Steve dropped a quick kiss to Darcy’s forehead before he excused himself to take a quick shower. Still in her heavy wool coat, Darcy sat down at Charlotte’s empty seat and watched while Bucky helped himself to her abandoned scrambled eggs. 

“So did you and Steve do anything fun last night?” Natasha asked, wanting to at least appear friendly and pleasant.

Even though it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet and she was wearing someone else’s clothes and her head was hurting _way_ too much to be genuinely either of those things. 

But Darcy accepted her attempt and nodded. “Nothing crazy,” she said, her hands falling to her sides. “Just out dancing and then back to my place after midnight.” Her brow furrowed in confusion as she reached her hand into the pocket of her coat. She laughed as she pulled out a handful of folded white pieces of paper and deposited them in the center of the table.

“Were you playing charades?” Bucky asked after swallowing a bite of scrambled eggs.

Darcy laughed easily and shook her head. “No, the club we went to,” she explained. “At midnight, when they set off those glitter canons, they set off another one that was all printed fortunes for the new year.” She shrugged and looked at her pile. “I guess I grabbed a few more than I realized.” Absently, she reached for one and unfolded it. “Hmm,” she said with a thoughtful frown.

“Care to enlighten us?” Bucky asked, glancing from her pensive expression to Nat and back again.

Darcy cleared her throat. “ _Don’t be afraid to let the first few hours of 2018 set the tone for the rest of the year_.” She glanced up and met Bucky’s eyes first. “What do you think, Mr. Barnes?” she asked, folding the paper again and dropping it back onto the pile. “If you had to label how the rest of the year was going to go, based on the first few hours, what would you think?”

Natasha looked down at her—his—clothes again and bit her lip. If she was judging the rest of the year based on what Bucky had told her about what had happened last night—

“I’d say it looks pretty good,” Bucky said, interrupting her thoughts. When she glanced up, she could have sworn he shot her a quick grin before he turned back to Darcy. “Weird,” he added, his blue eyes sparkling. “But definitely good.” 

Natasha took another bite of her breakfast.

He wasn’t wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... NOW it's done. Promise. Next installment will be a Valentine's Day fic, so stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Feelings? Emotions?
> 
> I'd love to know what you think!  
> And please follow me on Tumblr @ idontgettechnology for photosets of each story, other Marvel-related stuff, bi-pride and other ramblings.
> 
> Big kisses and happy new year beebs!


End file.
